Ross Lydall: Salmond's flying visit is almost lost for words

IT's a long way to travel for 71 words. Alex Salmond made it down to Westminster yesterday to contribute his tuppence-worth to the SNP/Plaid Cymru motion to dissolve Parliament in the wake of the expenses scandal etc etc.
It was his first contribution to a Commons debate for a couple of months - the last being on 27 April 2009, during the Budget debate (not more than a year ago, as I mistakenly said previously).
Was yesterday's contribution worth the air fare? Mr Salmond intervened on Welsh Secretary Peter Hain to boast about a 10 per cent increase in the SNP's vote in last week's European elections, which the First Minister said was a "resounding endorsement of the SNP government in Scotland".
That was it - though Mr Salmond did hang around until 7pm to vote with his six SNP chums. However the SNP motion rather backfired as the government ended up with a majority of 72, larger than Labour's working majority of 63.
To Mr Salmond's credit, though, he did make the effort to turn up, unlike David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Gordon Brown - yes, the self-same Prime Minister so keen to put Parliament at the centre of British political life, though not so keen to spend time there himself.

Ross Lydall: Is Labour afraid of talking about Britain?

Does the Scottish Labour Party have a problem describing itself as British?
A correspondent draws my attention to the party's European election manifestos for North and South of the Border, and the replacement of the word "Britain" with that of "Scotland" (or the omission of Britain altogether) on a number of occasions.

For example, the manifesto, entitled Winning The Fight For Britain’s Future, states: "Labour has fought hard so that workers in Britain have the right to guaranteed holidays, mums and dads have more time to spend at home with their British kids and we pay less for air travel or phone calls when we are on holiday."

But in the tartan edition, this is amended to: "Labour has fought hard so that workers in Scotland have the right to guaranteed holidays, mums and dads have more time to spend at home with their kids and we pay less for air travel or phone calls when we are on holiday."

Similarly, "Labour stands resolutely for the hard working majority of the British people" is amended to "Labour stands resolutely for the hard working majority of the people" for the benefit of Scottish eyes.

That's not to say that Britain does not feature in the Scottish manifesto. The word pops up 11 times - but 68 in the UK manifesto. All very strange for a Unionist party, perhaps?

Ross Lydall: Labour donations (part 2)

Further to my post yesterday about donations to the Labour party, I'm told that the £3,000 "donated" by the Royal Mail was not in fact a donation, but a payment for its sponsorship of a media reception at the Scottish Labour Party conference.

Apparently, Royal Mail did something similar at the SNP conference in Perth las year, when the First Minister was the guest of honour. It should be said that such corporate sponsorship is par for the course at such events - but the general public may feel they'd rather the Royal Mail concentrated on delivering their post on time.

Ross Lydall: MPs' expenses and Lib-Dem "dirty tricks"?

My, my, what have we here? The first evidence that an apparent cross-party consensus on not using the MPs' expenses scandal to score political points is breaking down?

Dropping through my letterbox yesterday was a letter from the "Pay It Back" campaign. It contains information about the claims of Dawn Butler, the Labour MP for Brent South, who has claimed around £60,000 in second-home allowances for a property in north-west London, despite having her main home in east London, an equal distance from Westminster. She has also been revealed to have overclaimed £2,600 in rent, and then offering to submit extra receipts to the Commons fees office "cover" the amount rather than simply paying it back.

The Pay It Back newsletter invites me to add my name to a petition calling on Ms Butler, who has shown a willingness to play the lackey to both Ken Livingstone and Gordon Brown, to pay back her second-home allowances. It says: "We find it appalling that a London MP who lives less than 30 minutes from Westminster can take thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money to pay for a second home."

Fair enough, you may think. The leaflet also contrasted Ms Butler's claims with those of Sarah Teather, the Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East (my local MP). Ms Teather has not claimed a penny in second-home allowances, and has been described by The Daily Telegraph as a "saint".

Then my eye caught notice of the small print. The leaflet (and campaign) is published by, erm, the Lib-Dems. At the next General Election, boundary changes will mean that Ms Teather will contest the new seat of Brent Central against.... you've guessed it, Dawn Butler.

Ross Lydall: Who's donating what to political parties...

A number of interesting names pop up in the latest quarterly register of donations to political parties, published today by the Electoral Commission.
There is Lord (Lewis) Moonie, the former Labour MP for Kirkcaldy, who was ordered to apologise to the House of Lords after being caught up in the "cash for amendments" scandal. He donated £4,000 to the Scottish Labour Party.
Then there is £250 donated to the Glasgow North East Constituency Labour Party by a "William Bain", who we can probably asume is the same Willie Bain mooted as the front-runner to become the Labour candidate in the forthcoming by-election in that constituency caused by the resignation of Speaker Michael Martin.
There are also donations to the Scottish Labour Party from Robert Wiseman Dairies (£2,000) - which may make a few people think twice about their choice of pinta - the Royal Mail (why on earth has it given the Labour party £3,000?) and the Daily Record, which managed to find £2,000 to donate to Labour while culling staff.
The SNP lists just four donations (three of them bequests) worth £55,900, while the Tories boast £10,000 from Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis, more than £1 million from businessman Stanley Fink and £10,000 from uber-trendy London restaurant Hakkasan. A Scottish Tory prize draw raised £36,372.
As for the Lib-Dems, they raised more than £820,000 - including £1,252 from Argyll and Bute MP Alan Reid and £11,700 from Treasury spokesman Vince Cable, who is probably feeling flush after securing a Sunday newspaper column and having a book published on the credit crunch.

Ross Lydall: the SNP response to Jim Murphy

Further to my Jim Murphy interview, the SNP Westminster group leader Angus Robertson issued the following statement in response to the Scottish Secretary's claims about the First Minister:

“For Jim Murphy, politics seems to be about personal attacks and he needs to raise the level of his contribution. The Scottish Government is delivering an effective economic recovery programme, and it is vitally important that it is not undermined by Westminster-imposed cuts to public spending in Scotland.
“If Mr Murphy wanted to make a constructive contribution then he should dissuade Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling from slashing Scotland's budget by 500m a year from 2010/11.
“The reality is that relationships between the Scottish and UK governments are generally good, and would be a good deal better without the Scotland Office, which is basically an irritant in the body politic. A much better system would be for the devolved administrations to deal with Downing Street directly via the Cabinet Office.
"Jim Murphy’s typically unctuous attack on the SNP government underlines precisely why the Scotland Office is such an irrelevance.”

Ross Lydall: That Jim Murphy interview uncut

Due to constraints on space, my interview with Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy appeared in an abridged form in today's Scotsman. For the sake of completeness, I attach pretty much the full transcript. The interview was carried out at Dover House, London, on Wednesday 25 February, immediately before Mr Murphy and the Prime Minister met First Minister Alex Salmond, and other leaders of the devolved governments, to discuss the economy etc.

Question: Will the job of Scottish Secretary disappear? "Not any time soon," he said.... "If, at some point in the distant future, when the devolution settlement has settled down in Northern Ireland, at some point in the future you may have a Secretary of State for the Nations." But such matters had been entirely knocked off the political agenda by the economic crisis.

He said it was "wrong" to combine the jobs of Defence Secretary and Scottish Secretary. "It was a mistake to combine the two jobs. Des [Browne] had an impossible job. I thought he did the impossible really well. But it was imbalanced, particularly when Northern Ireland and Wales had a full-time Secretary of State. It reduced Scotland in the hierarchy of the Cabinet. I think we're back to where it should be."

Is the Scottish Secretary or the First Minister the most important politician in Scotland? "For me it's not a competition about who is the main politician in Scotland. Gordon Brown is the main politician in Scotland, not Alex Salmond or Jim Murphy. Alistair Darling is probably the second most [important] politician in Scotland.
"In terms of public perception, Scottish Secretary - it's not the best job title in the first place anyway, is it? I'm relaxed about it. Secretary of State for Scotland is a bit more understood. Des was spending so much time on defence that you can understood why people would say: What is the publicly understood function of that job?"

Asked about the Labour submission to the Calman Commission and reports that there was opposition among some Scots Labour MPs to borrowing powers for the Scottish Government: "I think there were a couple [of Scots Labour MPs] who were critical but it's the Labour party policy. We went through a process. This is what we settled on. We are a party of thousands of members. There will be people who don't agree. That is fine."

Who drew up the submission? "Iain [Gray] did the vast majority of it, I played a supporting role." He added: "I'm very happy with every word in the document. Iain has crafted it really sensibly and it's the right thing to do."

What is his personal view about borrowing powers, and what the Calman Commission should propose? "Wait and see what the report says, the recommendations say... We set up this Calman process and it has to be independent, I'm not going to seek to influence it. By me telling you a view, I would be misconstrued as trying to influence it. I think Ken Calman has gone about it in an really methodical, extraodrinarily professional way, and I'm not going to second guess his work."

Does the Labour submission mean that Westminster is no longer, by itself, able to fulful all the needs of the Scottish people? "No, that argument was had 12, 14 years ago about can Westminster fulful the needs. That is why we had devolution in the first place. The Labour party has argued since its inception that a Westminster parliament couldn't fulfil its needs. Kier Hardie argued that Westminster couldn't fulfil Scotland's needs. Since the day the Labour party was formed, our view was that a UK parliament by and of itself had to be complemented by a Scottish parliament. It's been the heartbeat of the Labour party since we were formed, this idea that Scotland should have two parliaments."

How has Holyrood performed in its first decade? "Great, genuinely. We are coming up to the 10th anniversary of the first elections and the commencement of the parliament. In the first 10 years, did the House of Commons make mistakes? I suspect it probably made one every day that it sat. I think it's been really refreshing for Scotland. I think it's led the way in some important ways. It has been a real success, and needs to continue to be."

Has Holyrood replaced the Commons as the real forum for political debate? "It fluctuates day to day. I don't see it as a competition between the two."

Is the status quo an option on the constitution/for Calman? "I think there is a general problem, which is that they're {the Scottish Government] not financially accountable for the decisions, the spending decisions that are taken. That is the main point that has got to be addressed. There are other points that have got to be addressed, like the working relationships between the two parliaments and the two governments, which are nowhere near good enough. Calman is looking at this, but the idea that there is not enough of sharing of ideas, sharing of experiences among select committees, for example. The intergovernmental, sub-committees don't cotribute enough to cross-border thinking. There is grandstanding, unnecessary grandstanding. The one that has really annoyed me is this thing about drugs. The welfare reform bill that has come before [the UK] parliament. In future, it will be a condition of people on incapacity benefits, because they are drug addicts, will have their benefit stopped unless they take up treatment. But the Scottish Government are refusing to play ball on that, entirely. I think it's unncessary grandstanding. I'm perplexed as to why.
"More generally, in the economic circumstances, the big story of the year, the only story of the year, in the economy is that I just think too often the Scottish Government in general, and the First Minister in particular, is putting party before country. He is arguing the SNP's agenda rather than Scotland's agenda, and Scotland's priorities... For them, it's a chance to reflate old grievances, I don't know whether in light of their economic model being exposed by the reality that we are going to have to accept this as part the vocabulary of Scottish politics, whereby it's 'blame London' in preparation for their referendum in November 2010."

How does he regard cross-border working? "It works both ways. The Scottish government doesn't come here [Westminster] to give evidence. What I'm saying is that I think we can improve the current system. Again I don't have a prescription for improvement, I just know it can be improved."

Would he be prepared to give evidence to a Holyrood select committee? "I think as part of a wider deal in the future, as part of a new arrangements in the future, not in a haphazard one-off way. There are issues about accountability, but as part of a wider process."
Who would come the other way and give evidence to Westminster? "Having identifed the problem, I don't have a pre-cooked solution. But I think it is the type of thing we could look at. Certainly at least for the time of the economic crisis, it's something we should be doing. I think the working relationship between central government, the UK government, and the three devolved administrations - the Welsh Assembly Government, the Northern Ireland executive and the Scottish Government could be improved. It's not a London-Edinburgh thing, it's a general devolution thing."

Has he any desire to become MSP/Scottish Government minister? "I have got a fantastic job here. I think it's arrogance for me to announce [that I would be going to Scotland]. Iain Gray is doing a great job. I'm confident he will be the next First minister. I got elected against my expectations in 1997, as you know. It was the most Conservative seat in Scotland. It's a fantastic job. I don't want to take people for granted by switching."

But would he not be attracted to a Scottish Parliament with greater powers? "I'm happy where I am. It's also a challenge to stay where I am, with the voters of East Renfrewshire."

What does he think of the standards of debate at Holyrood? "I have seen clips on the news and they seem to shout a lot. But that is up to them. You wouldn't get away with that in the Commons. I don't watch it very often, but occasionally I will see it and they will do a lot of shouting."

What are his expectations of the general election? "We have got a fight on our hands but I'm confident we can win. We have got a real fight on our hands. How did I get elected in 1997? I got elected as a 29-year-old in a constituency where the Labour party hadn't won for 70 years. Why? Because the Conservatives had run out of energy and ideas. There was no purpose in voting for John Major. The contrast between the agenda we had, and the one that John Major had run out of, was pretty stark. That was in retrospect probably the easiest election in history for the Labour party to win.
"The next one is the most difficult, and it's rightly the most difficult. We are trying to double what no Labour government has ever done before. No Labour government has ever served two full terms in its history. Now we're trying to get a crack at a fourth full term. Therefore its rightly going to be more difficult. It should be more difficult. Because you have got to continually prove yourself. You can get frustrated about this, but I don't get frustrated. There is never going to be a belated sense of gratitude for what you have done, there just isn't. In normal times - we will see what happens in the economic crisis - there has never been a belated sense of gratitude to fuel contemporary content for what you do next. Even that 1945 government didn't gete two full terms. It was back out of office a few months after its second victory, after doing all the remarkable reforms. The Labour party doesn't get elected off the back of what it has done. It gets re-elected on the basis of what it's going to do. This will be the toughest. But I am certain we can win this election, certain we can win it."

Will voters not believe it is time for a change? "In politics, nothing is inevitable. You create your own energy."

Would Labour's chances increase if Gordon Brown waits until the last possible minute? "It's not going to be easy regardless of when it is. People will rightly be feeling anxious, worried and hurt because of what the economy is going through. No amount of political argument or speeches or clever documents by any of the parties will be able to ignore that fact, that there will be a real sense of anxiety and hurt among the public. It was really about which party is able to say this is the best plan to get the country [back on its feet].
"We did all the easy terms in the first term in government. You introduce the national minimum wage. It's a legislative command - you pass a law and it has to happen. The harder thing is about trying to drive value for money in public service improvements. You can't pass a law - it's cultural change and it's delivery. All of these things are more difficult."

How will Scotland vote? Will there be the same willingness to vote Labour or a rise in the SNP vote? "We have always got to re-earn people's affections. There is a trend about people being more retail and less tribal about their politics. That is a good thing. It's a reflection of modern society that people be more retail and less tribal. But what does that mean? You have got to be better. You have got to be better than all of the others and not rely on what their father did or what their grandmother did in terms of voting intentions."

Are there lessons to be learned from the Glasgow East and Glenrothes by-elections? "Glenrothes showed that politics is local. The global and national thing sets the scene, but people are increasingly local in how they make their decisions. That I think was the lesson in both Glasgow East and Glenrothes. I think there's lessons for party organisation, but that's for the Labour party to work out, not me.
"I think the next election will be about local responses, community responses and families' feelings about their communities in the context of the global recession. The backdrop is going to be the global recession. I think that, when it comes, this will be the most personalised general election campaign in history."

Tony Blair and Gordon Brown: "I have not hidden the fact that I have friendship and affection for Tony Blair. That would be silly. But I speak more to Gordon Brown than I ever did to Tony Blair. Gordon has been remarkably open and really engaged and engaging. All of that stuff is in the past, that Blairite-Brownite stuff. I'm just New Labour. I'm comfortable with that."

Life in Cabinet: "Every meeting is open. I would describe it as open, pretty refreshing atmosphere where you can contribute to your own policy area or anyone else's policy area, and the conversation kind of runs and rolls.... Banks, Royal Bank, HBOS, Calman, these things come up pretty regularly. It's a phenomenal experience. It's all these things you would expect me to say, but I have to say them because they're true. You think yourself, how much would you like to do it? You sit round that table where so many of the big decisions in history were made. And this isn't a kind of mock Glasgwegian working class chip on my shoulder kind of thing, but you sometimes pinch yourself just how fortunate I am. I consider myself to be the luckiest man in Scotland, the most fortunate man in Scotland to have the position I have and the honour that I have. I know that sounds kind of schmaltzy... There is no sense that there are only three people allowed to speak. Everyone has their say when they want to have their say. It's a remarkably open meeting. He runs a very, very good cabinet, he runs it in a very open way."

Ross Lydall: The ties have it

The bosses of the "big six" energy firms appeared at the first meeting of the Commons energy and climate change committee today. But the most illuminating thing, if you'll excuse the weak pun, was the tie sported by Ian Marchant, chief executive of Scottish and Southern Energy.
It was black, with a bold pattern of giant yellow light bulbs. A man with a sense of humour, or possibly children, methinks. But are his green credentials harmed by the fact that the lightbulbs weren't of the low-energy type?
There was a good stooshie between Mr Marchant and John Robertson, the Labour MP for Glasgow North West. Robbo reckoned the energy firms were making excess profits out of people (generally those on low incomes) who have pre-paid meters. Mr Marchant exploded with rage when his denial was dubbed an excuse. "These are not excuses! These are the facts!" he stormed, in a most unparliamentary way.
As for bills, Scottish and Southern will cut electricity bills by 9 per cent, and gas bills by 4 per cent, from 30 March. Expect reductions from Scottish Power too. "We don't want to lose any customers," said its chief executive, Nick Horler. "We are likely to move soon."

Ross Lydall: Home Sweet Home Secretary as Swinson fails to deliver

So, did Jo Swinson come up with the goods? Alas not. Rather than daring to quiz Jacqui Smith on her expenses (see previous post), Ms Swinson tried to open up a new flank on alleged wrongdoings in the House of Lords.

Last week, her Lib-Dem chum Chris Huhne (the party's Home Affairs spokesman) wrote to the Met police to ask it to investigate whether there were grounds to press bribery charges against four peers named in a second round of allegations in the Sunday Times "cash for amendments" row.

So, for that reason, Ms Swinson asked Ms Smith: "Will she tell the House what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues and the police about whether the police currently have adequate powers to investigate Members of either House of Parliament who are suspected of the common law offence of bribery?"

A relieved Ms Smith quickly replied: "No, I have not had any discussions with police colleagues about that." End of story. Ms Swinson may not get such a good chance of doing some political point-scoring for quite some time.

Ross Lydall: Has Jo Swinson the nerve to demand home truths of Jacqui Smith?

Interesting to see that Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrat MP for East Dunbartonshire and champion of openness and transparency, is due to ask the first "topical" question to Home Secretary Jacqui Smith this afternoon.

By a quirk of bad timing, Ms Smith has to face the Commons a day after finding her living arrangements splashed over the front page of the Mail on Sunday. By living with her sister in south London and nominating her constituency home as her second home, she is able to claim up to £24,006 a year in the second home allowance (entirely within the letter - if not the spirit - of the rules, it should be added).

Commendably, and in contrast to most other MPs, Ms Swinson publishes all her parliamentary expenses on her website. But will she have the nerve to take on Ms Smith, and secure for herself a few headlines?

One wonders what advice she might be receiving from her Lib-Dem colleague and shadow Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael. The MP for Orkney and Shetland, a canny chap, is due to be appointed to a new parliamentary committee overseeing members' allowances, as is Labour MP and government whip Tommy McAvoy, who represents Rutherglen and Hamilton West.

Ross Lydall: David Cameron's non-answer on an independence referendum

A few interesting lines from David Cameron's monthly press conference, which was held this morning. He wants the bankers to "wake up and smell the coffee" with regard to bonuses, and understand that they wouldn't be in jobs - never mind thinking about how to spend their bonuses - if it wasn't for taxpayer support.

However he focused his wrath on top executives - saying he had no wish to deprive the "woman who runs the branch at Auchtermuchty" from receiving a top-up to her basic wage.
Any bonuses that are issued should not be in cash but in shares that could only be redeemed when any taxpayer-funded loans are repaid, he added.

He dodged yet another question about suspicions that Tory donor Lord Ashcroft remains a tax exile: "Someone's tax status is a matter between them and the Inland Revenue."
However he did indicate support for Lib-Dem peer Lord Oakeshott's private member's bill that is currently proceeding through Parliament, which would ban donations from donors not registered in the UK for tax: "I think that is not a bad idea. I'm very happy to see that bill progress."

And he did just enough to increase the pressure on Jacqui Smith when he declared that "she may have some questions to answer" over her decision to claim up to £24,006 a year in parliamentary allowances by living with her sister in south London rather than a "grace and favour" property normally used by the Home Secretary.

Finally, one for the conspiracy theorists. Asked whether, if he became Prime Minister, he would consider an early referendum on Scottish independence to "shoot the SNP's fox", Mr Cameron steered clear of repeating the R-word.

Instead, in reply to the question, (from Conservative Home's Jonathan Isaby) he pledged to "do whatever it takes" to maintain the Union (note the irony in the number of Scottish seats he expects to win).

For completeness, here's what Mr Cameron said: "If we win the election and if, by some miracle, we don't have 25 seats in Scotland and have slightly fewer, then I would be a Prime Minister who would want to govern in the interests of everyone in Scotland.
"I would recognise the shortage of mandate, if you like, in Scotland by getting straight up there and meeting the First Minister and saying, look, anyone who wants to try to work with me, I will work with them. I will make sure my ministers go to Holyrood and listen to committees there. Likewise, Scottish ministers should come to Westminster and engage with the committees here.
"I would do whatever it takes to govern in the interests of the whole of the United Kingdom and to try to make sure, that over time, that we can strengthen that United Kingdom. I would be prepared to consider anything to enable us to do that."

Ross Lydall: Murphy's blog is first with his news

It attracted a few snide comments at its launch in October, but Jim Murphy's blog has built a regular following, it seems.

According to figures supplied in a Parliamentary written answer to the SNP's arch inqusitor Angus MacNeil, the Scottish Secretary's blog attracted 5,077 hits in its first month, 4,910 in its second, 4,450 in its third and experienced a New Year revival with 5,142 hits in January.

Recent entries range from Mr Murphy being delayed in Scotland as a result of snow at Heathrow - and then going sledging with his family - to his visit to the Gorbals with Gordon Brown, during which time the Prime Minister received his long-awaited first call from President Obama.

He has also used it to break news about initiatives to develop a cross-border approach to tackling football hooliganism and to give his thoughts on the "British jobs for British workers" row that saw wildcat strikes across Scotland. Well done, Jim - if only your press office were as keen to publicise your activities, you'd be securing double the press coverage. The blog can be found at: www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk

Ross Lydall: More on ex-MP's mystery expenses

More on David Marshall's allowances and expenses. The House of Commons library has just provided me with figures for the three financial years from the June 2001 election. Over these three years Mr Marshall, then Labour MP for Glasgow Shettleston (it would later be renamed Glasgow East) claimed £88,049, £117,325 and £107,170. Sounds like quite a wedge.
But to be fair to Mr Marshall, I compared his spending to that of another Glasgow MP, Ann McKechin, now a junior minister in Scotland Office. She claimed £85,014, £96,259 and £113,410 - all told, £17,861 less than Mr Marshall. Read into that what you will.

Ross Lydall: Tory reshuffle - and a mini one from the SNP too

David Cameron's reshuffle of the Tory shadow cabinet has just been announced. The big winner, other than Ken Clarke, is Chris Grayling. After dogged efforts on the transport and, latterly, work and pensions briefs, he becomes shadow Home Secretary.
Dominic Grieve moves from shadowing the Home Office to being shadow Justice Secretary. Tory spin doctors deny this is a demotion by claiming that Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, is one of the few Labour big beasts and, as such, needs a capable shadow.
The main loser is Alan Duncan, who becomes shadow Leader of the House. If he follows the style of Theresa May, this simply involves being rude to Harriet Harman for five minutes every Thursday after she announces the following week's parliamentary business. Nothing wrong in that, but it does little to raise one's profile.
Unsprprisingly, Mr Cameron has been unable to find a seat for David Davis. He was not impressed last summer when his then shadow Home Secretary quit in protest at the "erosion of civil liberties", which divered attention from Gordon Brown's troubles. Expect Mr Davis only to reappear from the subs bench after the first ministerial resignation of a Tory government. He may have a long time to wait.
Meanwhile, the SNP has also conducted a tiny reshuffle of its own. Mike Weir, the party's business, energy and climate change spokesman, is to take a seat on the new energy and climate change select committee, which keeps an eye on Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband and his fledgling department.
As a result, Mr Weir has surrendured his place on the business and enterprise committee, which is the only formal mechanism for MPs to question Business Secretary Lord Mandelson.
SNP sources say the change reflects Mr Weir's interest in energy, nuclear power and climate change issues, and the fact that he sat on the climate change bill committee. It also marks something of a victory for the SNP to secure a seat on the new climate change committee, as small parties tend to lose out at Westminster.
But it would appear to risk leaving the party's seven MPs a bit light on the big issue of the day, the economy, as they are not represented on the Treasury select committee either. This is the vehicle through which Labour MP John McFall, as its chairman, has found himself in constant demand from the media. The SNP are not normally seen missing a PR opportunity and, yes, the party's Westminster finance spokesman Stewart Hosie is prolific, but this appears a rare false move in these troubled times.

Ross Lydall: Mystery remains over ex-Labour MP's expenses

ONE consequence of the Government's wish to exempt MPs' expenses from freedom of information legislation is to further delay the truth surrounding the final claims made by the former Labour MP David Marshall.
Mr Marshall stood down as MP for Glasgow East last June on grounds of ill health, sparking a shock SNP victory in the subsequent by-election. Conspiracy theories quickly emerged that Mr Marshall - and the Labour party - had been facing embarrassment with the imminent disclosure of eye-wateringly large claims, potentially involving Marshall family members, and that this was a factor in his sudden decision to quit.
Mr Marshall certainly had "form" in claiming large amounts. He claimed £363,080 in the three financial years to March 2007, though his claim in 2006/7 was about £6,000 below the Commons average for the year.
As of today, Parliament is yet to publish MPs' expenses for 2007/8. Normally they would have been released in the autumn. The release of these figures will largely depend on what happens next Thursday, when MPs - and peers - vote on Harriet Harman's proposals to free parliamentarians from the obligation to make public their receipts.
In the interim, we remain uninformed about how public money was used by public servants, and sleights against Mr Marshall cannot be proved or disproved. Justice delayed is justice denied, as campaigners often say.
Time will tell whether justice has been denied to Mr Marshall - or to his former Glasgow constituents, who remain in the dark about whether they were taken for a ride.

Ross Lydall: What's Next for Darling and the stagnant economy?

Gordon Brown, being the tribal politican that he is, was always found wearing a plain red tie. He has since gravitated, guided no doubt by his wife, Sarah, to purple.
Alistair Darling tries to express himself with the occasional stripey, multi-coloured number. That plan was slightly derailed around the time of the Pre-Budget Report when Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, sported the same tie - as they sat virtually side by side on the green benches of the Commons, looking like a couple of schoolboys.
Still, this was not as bad as a recent Prime Minister's question time, when Hazel Blears, the Communities Secretary, and Chief Treasury Secretary Yvette Cooper wore identical black and while skirt-suits. It is difficult to know which woman felt more embarrassed.
None of the above appears to shop in Next, and after the comments this morning from its sharp-suited chief executive, none is likely to be keen to patronise its stores.
Simon Wolfson, whose profile has risen dramatically over the last year, shared the prestigious 8.10am slot on the Today programme with Marks & Spencer chairman Sir Stuart Rose.
What would have made uncomfortable listening for the Cabinet was Mr Wolfson's assessment of the impact of the 2.5 point cut in the rate of VAT, announced in November by Mr Darling and due to last 13 months.
“I think it was a missed opportunity," Mr Wolfson said. “If it was designed to boost expenditure, then it really has had no effect whatsoever."
'Nuff said. The VAT cut is costing £11.1 billion (£12.4 billion less the extra duty on booze and fags). According to Mr Wolfson, it's money down the drain.

Ross Lydall The festive season hits Westminster

Phew, what a hectic 24 hours. First the Christmas bash at the Irish Embassy (famed for last year's "mugging" of the Bishop of Southwark after he became over-acquainted with the red wine - Google and enjoy), then the Queen's Speech, followed by drinks at 11 Downing St tonight with the Chancellor.
Oh yes, and the small matter of the Speaker's admission that the police had raided Tory MP Damian Green's office without a warrant, and the Prime Minister's back-of-a-P45 plan to protect the middle classes from having their homes repossessed.
Two old faces were to be seen doing the social rounds. David Cairns, the former Scotland Office minister, was on good form at the Irish Embassy do. It appears he is now ready to re-enter public life after being exterminated by the PM's counter-insurgency squad after raising concerns about the Brown Government's direction. Then at No11, the Scottish press pack ran into one of its own, Brian Wilson, the Blairite former energy minister.
Mr Cairns joked that he was soon to appear on a politics programme on STV. But rather than being called upon to explain Government policy, he now gets to join the band of former politicos who pass comment on the current incumbents and moan about how much better it was in their day.
How long, though, before Mr Cairns makes a return to Government? He is well liked and, more importantly, respected for his ability. Even Jim Murphy, who today called for the SNP to-co-operate with Westminster on areas of overlapping interest in relation to the new bills in the Queen's speech, praised his past contributions.
Enemies of Gordon know not to hold their breath. But it strikes me that if the Prime Minister can find it in his heart to forgive Lord Mandelson, surely he can make the comparatively minor step and allow Mr Cairns to atone for his sins. Like the Scotland football team, Scottish Labour is not overburdened with talent, and Mr Cairns should be a guaranteed pick for any PM - should be wish to re-enter the fray, of course. Who said Malawi?